Step 1 — Read the sentence carefully:
"His remarks were filled with _____ , which sounded lofty but presented nothing new to the audience."
The sentence suggests that the speaker’s remarks appeared impressive on the surface but lacked originality or real substance.
Step 2 — Understand the clue:
The phrase "sounded lofty but presented nothing new" is a clear indicator that the missing word must mean commonplace, overused, or trivial statements that appear important but actually are not.
Step 3 — Meaning of the correct word:
The word platitudes refers to remarks or statements that are trite, meaningless from overuse, or lacking originality, even though they may sound moralistic or profound.
Step 4 — Fit the word into the sentence:
"His remarks were filled with platitudes, which sounded lofty but presented nothing new to the audience." This makes perfect sense and matches the context of the clue.
Final Answer:
The correct option is (B) : platitudes.